Chronicles of the Apocalypse: Condemnation

In the Shallows, the gun boat comes to a pier, where Kyle and Jake step off and follow the torches lit for directions towards the highway.

Jake: Guess this is it....so tell me; you going to miss him?

Kyle: Barnes? More or less...he was a good drill instructor, but he was too close to Ryder....closer to him than his own brother.

Jake: He kept on getting under your skin a lot..

Kyle: Yeah, he did.

Jake: Why?

Kyle: That's another time for later.

Jake: You know; I'm still your big brother....I'm here if you want to talk.

Kyle: I do....just later.

Kyle and Jake continue down the path and notice an army of Condemned, Brutes and Goliaths traveling down the highway.

Jake: That's gotta be the highway.

Kyle: Well, let's see where they're heading too.

Kyle prepares to follow the Condemned army, but Jake puts his hand on Kyle's shoulder.

Jake: Wait, Kyle...the old man said we have to follow the path that's off the highway.

Kyle: What? Why?

Jake: The prison camps. Like you said, we...we gotta check this out.

Kyle sighs.

Kyle: Look, man....we need to focus on what we came here for.....like I said; Merritt has probably seen women that look like Keera all the time. We have no idea if she's down here or not and everyone back at home is-

Jake: I have to go...look, you don't have to go with me, okay? I'll go check this out and you deploy the beacon.

Kyle: Goddamn it, Jake. That'll get us both killed. We need to get inside the Hive and activate the beacon for the A.O.W. This is it, man....this is what we've fought so hard to achieve.

Jake: Yeah? Well, Keera's what I'm trying to achieve. She's all I got, dude. She's my fucking wife, all right?! You'd do the same thing if it were Sarah.

Kyle: You're right. I would, but she'd want to worry about everyone else's lives instead of her own. Her sister.

Jake: I'm going to go find her....with or without you.

Kyle: So that's it, huh? You going to turn your back on me again?

Jake: I didn't turn my fucking back on you! Ryder took saw potential in you and took you!

Kyle: and you fucking let him, you asshole!....so the people we've fought with don't matter to you? The people who've died getting this far? Walter? Alexandria? Cameron? Barnes? ....they mean nothing to you?

A short pause.

Jake: Dad would be disappointed in us, man....I thought we were brothers, Kyle.

Jake begins to make his way towards the prison camp, before Kyle shuts his eyes and speaks to himself.

Kyle: I'm going to regret this. 

Kyle opens his eyes and shouts to Jake.

Kyle: Jake! Hold up!

Kyle catches up to Jake.

Kyle: You know you're an asshole, right?

Jake: Runs in the family.

In Midtown Manhattan, Shawn and James are driving the A.O.W tank through the gates of Midtown Manhattan, before the Burton brothers, Merritt and the survivors exit. Sarah, Ashley, Caleb and Cassandra approach the tank as Cassandra hugs James.

Cassandra: You're alive!

James: I told you I was coming back.

Ashley: Where's everyone else?

Shawn: They're alive. Kyle's alive, Sarah. He took Jake and Barnes with him. They're heading down into the Shallows on foot to signal the beacon....when that happens, James and I going back. We had to get these people to safety.

Cassandra turns to to James.

Cassandra: You're not staying?

James: No....they need our help....three men or not....

Sarah: So what do we do now?

Shawn: We wait....I know Kyle....he's a tough bastard....and the man's my best friend....if anyone can get out of there, it'd be him. We've all seen him. He's lead bandits and rapists who were pitted against each other against Kronos and won....so what we're going to do...is pray...and start getting everyone ready....because the fight's about to come here again and whole lot bigger.

In the prison camps, Kyle and Jake approach the main terminal.

Jake: Hang on...

Jake pulls out a hacking device.

Kyle: What's that?

Jake: An A.O.W hacking tool? I can plug into this terminal and hopefully it can tell me where she is....give me a photographic match on Keera.

Jake inserts the hacking device plug into the terminals slot. Images of the prisoners faces begin popping in and out on the screen.

Jake: So many of our people...

The image of Keera pops up onto the screen.

Kyle: You've found her....

A symbol then pops up in front of the image.

Kyle: What does that symbol mean?

Jake: could be where they're keeping her. Let's try to look around.

The two groups split up and search from the terminals to find the right symbol.

Kyle: My god...this is insanity....how long have they been locked up like this?

Jake: I don't know, but we have to keep looking....if Keera's in one of these things, we have to find her quick.

Kyle and Jake search through the terminals, only to find the wrong symbol.

Jake: It's not the right symbol....let's go...

The two then spot a Condemned patrol with a brute carrying a shield and hammer, looking through the terminals, prompting Kyle and Jake to take cover.

Kyle: Don't shoot....we'll wait for them to move and then we'll follow them...

Kyle and Jake follow the Condemned patrol as Kyle sneaks up behind the first Condemned and snaps his neck as Jake does the same to another Condemned. Kyle presses on the terminal control and the right image pops up.

Jake: That's the symbol. This is where she is. Start looking.

Kyle takes out his chrome blade and begins to cut the pod locks, before they are suddenly spotted by Condemned forces.

Kyle: Shit! They're here! They fucking found us!

Jake: We'll find Keera after we take care of these assholes!

Kyle and Jake engage in a shootout with the Condemned Squad. One of the soldiers tosses a grenade, knocking down Jake. A dazed Jake stumbles to his pistol, but a Condemned drone steps onto his pistol and aims his rifle at him, but is shot by Kyle.

Kyle: Jake! Jake! Are you okay?!

Kyle helps Jake up onto his feet. The two then take cover and continue to shoot at Condemned soldiers, eventually killing them in the fight. After the shootout, Kyle and Jake walk up to the middle pod, before Kyle cuts open the lock.

Jake: We fucking did it, little brother! we've found her!

Kyle: Congratulations, man.

Jake: I couldn't have done it without you....thank you, Kyle.

The pod door opens as Keera, apparently in healthy condition, emerges and walks out of the pod as Jake laughs and smiles.

Jake: Keera....

The two walk towards each other.

Jake: Baby...

The two hug each other and after a while, Keera falls to her knees.

Jake: It's okay, Keera....we're going to get you to safety...I'm here...now....I'm here...

Jake turns to to Kyle.

Jake: She's alive, Kyle...she's-

Kyle: Jake....

Jake looks back to Kyle, who is nodding with a horrified look on his face, snapping him out of his senses that Keera is in healthy condition when in reality; Keera has been suffering inflicted wounds of torture and starvation, leaving her in trauma and non-vegetative responsive state. Kyle is visibly saddened by this sight of Keera while Jake is horrified at the sight of his wife.

Jake: Oh, no....no....Oh, no....no....oh, no, no...please....no, baby....no, no, no, no, no, no.....What did the fuck did those monsters do to you?! Agh! I'm so sorry.....I should've been there for you after you lost the baby....I'm so sorry, Keera....

Jake begins to cry.

Jake: I tried to look for you! I tried to find you! God! I did! Fuck...please no! Keera! Goddamn it! It's me, Jake! Your husband! It's Jake! Please, baby! Talk to me! Fucking talk to me! Please! I'm here!

Kyle touches Jakes' shoulder in a comforting matter.

Jake: Kyle! I don't know what the fuck to do! I don't know the fuck what to do, man! What am I going to do?! Please! Help me! Help me! Please...she...

Kyle: Jake....it's okay...it'll be okay.

Kyle walks away as Jake gives a look, concluding what he must do.

Jake: I'm so sorry....

Jake puts her forehead to Keeras' forehead.

Jake: I'm so sorry, Keera...I love you....you were the best thing that ever happened to me.....I love you so much...

Jake pulls out her revolver and puts it to Keera's temple. Jake sobs as he looks away, holding her revolver to his wife's' head. Kyle walks off as a gunshot is heard, concluding that Jake has put down Keera at mercy. In Midtown Manhattan, Cassandra walks into the church and walks up to the statue of Jesus hung on the cross, before she kneels.

Cassandra: Father.....Mom...Dad...Blake...whoever's there....I hope you can hear me....I know I've sinned a lot in the past three years. I've done incredibly stupid things...because I'm angry....I was angry at Mom for a while....I should've told you that how much of a great mom you are...this woman who I sometimes called a bitch....I should've told you how much of my mother you were....how much I loved you...I just ask for forgiveness.....I ask for the strength to be strong for Maya...and for James...and I pray that you'll just keep all of us in your hands.

In the Shallows, Kyle is searching through the dead Condemned before Jake walks up to him.

Kyle: I'm sorry about Keera...but she's in a better world than this one....you did the right thing....If it was Sarah...I don't know if I could've done what you did for Keera.

Jake: I pray you never have to experience that.

Kyle: Look, I found a way we can get into the Hive, but if you want to go in shooting up the place, I'm down with that too.

A short pause.

Jake: I want to make every last one of them feel the pain I felt...I want to kill them all.